Welcome to the 8th Grade!
by Detective-JazzyFe
Summary: As the new school year & marching band season approaches, Zoey has a lot in for her; a little romance, drama, the start of the marching band season, endless homework, drama, & more drama with Alana. Oh, but the fun has only begun...**NEW CHAPTER IS UP!**
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello fellow readers! We are back with the second story of my so called series, _Welcome to the 8th Grade!_ Zoey is in for a lot more fun, drama, and a little bit of romance as the school year and marching band season starts up. If you're just tuning in, check out _Summer Fun or Not?_ to find out what Zoey has been up to during her summer break! So, we begin with Zoey at the middle school, the day before the school year starts. Looks like the fun is just getting started.**

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><p>The summer has come to an end and the school year is a day short of beginning. There is a lot to expect with starting a new grade; new things to learn, new classes to take, new teachers to deal with, and new rules to follow. Zoey and all of her friends have been looking forward to the first day of school and their last year in Seaside Heights Middle School all summer. There are many things to worry about as their middle school career comes to the end. The summer was just a small version to what might happen during the school year. No one knows what will exactly happen, but they are surely not waiting around to find out.<p>

Tuesday morning, the day before the school year begins. Many teachers are at Seaside Heights Middle School getting ready for the first day of school. Zoey was with Kaitlyn, also known as Ms. Sanderson, helping her set up their new classroom. Kaitlyn was putting up paper on the bulletin board outside the classroom while Zoey was in the room putting up pictures of the whole class on a bulletin board by Kaitlyn's desk. She grabbed a picture out of the picture box and glanced at it. It was a picture of the class from the first grade. She laughed to herself as she sat that picture down and grabbed another one out the box. This was another picture of the class from fourth grade. She grabbed the two pictures and stapled them on the board. She reached into the box to find another one of the class from last year.

"Man, last year went by so fast. Still feels like I'm in seventh grade…" she mumbled to herself. She stapled that it onto the board and grabbed another picture out the box again. It was one of herself and Kaitlyn with Kevin and the music teacher Mr. Neil from second grade. The picture was taking during a teacher-student potato sack race at field day. Zoey laughed hysterically at the picture, thinking of that day. She stapled it onto the board and continued to put up more. Kaitlyn walked into the room and curiously looked over at Zoey.

"Having fun over there?" she asked as she walked over to her desk.

"Yeah…these pictures are too funny. It's nice to look at how we were way back then." Zoey replied.

"Yes it is. We've had some good times." Kaitlyn walked over to the board and glanced at the pictures.

"It doesn't even seem like I'm in eighth grade." Zoey laughed.

"Well, time sure does fly by when you're having fun."

"Yup…they were some fun times." Zoey grabbed a couple more pictures and started to staple them onto the board again. Kaitlyn grabbed a roll of cringe paper and left the room. Once she was finished, Zoey placed the box on Kaitlyn's desk and grabbed the "Memory Board" banner. She taped it above the bulletin board and took a seat at a desk. She looked around the empty room, at the desks in rows, the books stacked being ready to be handed out. She couldn't believe that she would be starting the eighth grade tomorrow. Seconds later her phone starting to buzz. She reached over to her bag and answered it without looking at the caller I.D.

"Uh hello?"

"Hey, it's Carlos." the person on the other end said.

"Oh. Hey Carlos. What's up?"

"Not much. Where are you? Danny, Ellyn, Conner and I came by your house looking for you, but your mom said you weren't home."

"She never told you guys where I was?"

"Nah, she just said you weren't home."

"Oh…well I'm at the school with Kaitlyn."

"For what? You don't have to be there until tomorrow, remember? Unless today is Wednesday…oh god! I'm late for school! Why didn't those boneheads tell me?"

"No Carlos, calm down." Zoey couldn't help but laugh at her friend. "You're fine. Today is Tuesday. Kaitlyn needed help finishing the room so she called and asked me to come in with her."

"Oh...well, that's cool. What are you doing afterwards?"

"I don't know yet. I might either go back home or Rocky's I suppose."

"Alright, well call any one of us. We're going to head to the pier for a bit."

"Okay, see you later." Zoey hung up and sighed. She heard a voice coming from the hallway. She placed her phone on the desk and tried to listen in on the conversation taking place. "Hmm…I wonder who that is." Moments later, Kaitlyn walked into the classroom with Mr. Banks following behind.

Mr. Banks was puzzled to see Zoey, but gave her a small smile. "Well hello there. Nice to see you again, Zoey." He greeted.

"It's nice seeing you too, Mr. Banks." Zoey said with a smile. _Oh brother..._she thought.

"How was your summer?"

Zoey slouched into the chair and hung her head. "I'd rather not talk about it sir, if you don't mind."

"May I ask why?" Mr. Banks asked with concern.

"Let's just say that it didn't exactly turn out to be what I imagined." Mr. Banks looked at Kaitlyn and she shook her head.

"Long story," was the only response she could give.

"Fair enough I suppose. Well, I have to head down to the main office. Good-bye Kaitlyn, good-bye Zoey. See you tomorrow morning." Mr. Banks waved good-bye and left the room.

"English will be pretty…boring this year." Zoey sighed.

"Don't say that, Zo." Kaitlyn sat on top of her desk and glanced down at Zoey.

"Hey, it's not my fault the guy is boring."

"Mr. Banks isn't that bad, you know. At least you'll have two new teachers for math and science."

Zoey sat up and grabbed her phone from the desk. "Well, that's some good news. What about reading and gym?"

"You have Ms. Garcia again for gym. And you have me for reading, again."

"Okay, I'm happy now." Zoey said with a smile. Kaitlyn laughed at Zoey's reaction as couldn't help but smile. She took a quick glance at the clock and her eyes grew big.

"It's already one. I have to meet with Mr. Clark and Mr. Simpson in like ten minutes." she said while jumping off the desk.

"Another meeting?"

"Yeah, it happens when you're the head of a department."

"I guess so." Zoey replied as she watched her gather her bags together.

"What do you plan on doing the rest of the day?"

"That, my friend, is a good question." Zoey shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, are you hungry enough to grab a bite somewhere?"

"That sounds like an awesome idea." Zoey grinned.

"Alright, well let's head down to the main office so I can get this done and over with." Kaitlyn laughed.

Zoey grabbed her bag and phone and walked out the room. Kaitlyn followed behind with her bags and a pile of packets. The two stopped by the eighth grade office first to drop off the packets, and then made their way downstairs to the main office. As they walked into the office, Zoey grabbed a seat and Kaitlyn made her way down the hall to Mr. Simpson's office. She heard two men talking inside as she approached the door. She knocked on the door a few times and heard someone say, "Come in."

"Hello Kaitlyn, have a seat." Mr. Simpson said. She took a seat next to Mr. Clark, the eighth grade principal, in front of Mr. Simpson's desk.

"Wasn't there some girl with you?" Mr. Clark asked angrily. Mr. Simpson glanced at Kaitlyn with a puzzled look.

"Is Zoey here with you?" he asked.

"Uh, yes she is." Kaitlyn choked. "I asked her to come in and help set up my classroom." She answered a little worried.

"Zoey Rivera is such a sweet girl, Andrew. She's one of the best students in this school. You'll enjoy having her this year." Mr. Simpson said. He looked over at Kaitlyn again. "How is she? You know...considering what happened this summer?"

"She's great." She answered with a sigh. "She's doing great. A whole lot better actually."

"What exactly happened this summer with Zoey?" Mr. Clark butted in.

Mr. Simpson and Kaitlyn looked over at Mr. Clark and looked back at each other. Kaitlyn shifted in her seat and took a deep breath, "Uh well, Zoey didn't have such a great summer. She had a few issues with people at band, and at home..." Mr. Clark gave her an odd look. "Let's just say that things didn't go as planned."

Mr. Clark glanced over at Mr. Simpson and said, "Don't you think it is a little strange that a teacher and a student have such a 'close' relationship?"

Before Mr. Simpson could answer, Kaitlyn jumped right in and said, "No, considering the fact that she is my goddaughter."

"I see..." Mr. Clark replied back quietly.

"Okay, well then. Uh Ms. Sanderson, it's nice to hear that Zoey is doing well." Mr. Simpson chuckled nervously. "So well, I just have some more packets for you, Ms. Sanderson. Just some information you'll need for the social studies department." Mr. Simpson handed her the stack of packets.

"Thank you." Kaitlyn sat the packets in her lap. "Oh, I also brought back the information packets for my homeroom. I left them in the eighth grade office with Barbara."

"Already?" Mr. Clark asked.

"Yes. I handed them out to my students in June. I had Zoey and another one of my students collect them and asked them to hold on to it until I came back from Italy."

"Do you usually talk to your students on an every day basis, besides Zoey I mean?"

Kaitlyn's grew eyes and she laughed. "Most of them, yes. I had all the same students since pre-kindergarten."

"Really? You never had one new student in your class all those years?"

"Come to think of it, no I haven't."

"I see…" Mr. Clark slumped down in his chair.

"Well Kaitlyn," Mr. Simpson said loudly as he stood up from his seat. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning." he said with a smile.

"Good-bye Bill, bye Andrew." Kaitlyn got up from her chair and walked out the office.

"That's it? I thought it would at least be like twenty minutes." Zoey said as she was typing a message on her cell phone.

"That's what I thought. Nothing but more packets." Kaitlyn sighed.

"So, are we good to go?"

"Yes we are. Let's get out of here. I'm in the mood for a hot dog." The two left the middle school and made their way to the pier.

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><p>The duo arrived at the pier and parked by the Stewarts, a famous place known for their great food. They got out the car and went inside to get some food. Once their order was done, they grabbed a booth to sit in.<p>

"I still can't believe school starts tomorrow. I'm not as excited about it as I was at the beginning of the summer." Zoey said as she bit into her hot dog.

"Why do you say that?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Well," Zoey took a sip of her coke, "I mean, I feel like I'm already dealing with the high school drama even though I'm still in middle school. Who knows what will happen next year when I'm actually a freshman. Plus, I'm worried that the class might not stay together, or that you might stay here at the middle school, or some of us might move. I don't know."

"I think we should just focus on this year. Enjoy it all while you can." Kaitlyn ate a couple of fries.

"Yeah that's exactly what I plan on doing. This summer was just too much for me. I think everything that happened must be a sign...or something."

"Which part?" Kaitlyn took a sip of her sprite. "The whole birthday situation, you and Conner kissing, the McKenzie problem, or the Brittany problem?"

"Maybe all of it? If I had all these problems during the summer, I can only imagine what's in store for me."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Your birthday is long gone until next summer, nothing really changed between you and Conner...well you claim that nothing changed, Brittany went back to New York and she isn't coming back, and the whole drum major issue with Alana can be easily fixed with Mr. Rush."

"If you say so..." Zoey mumbled.

"So speaking of Conner, where is he?" Kaitlyn asked as she ate a few more fries.

"Oh man, I forgot." Zoey began as she looked at her phone. "Carlos said that he was going to be here with Ellyn, Danny and Conner."

"Want to go look for them?"

"Yeah, let's go." The duo got up, grabbed their drinks, and left Stewarts. They walked down the boardwalk to the pier looking for the four classmates. They entered the pier and Zoey spotted Conner sitting on a bench. She and Kaitlyn walked up to him and took a seat.

"Hey, I didn't know you two were going to be here." he said with a smile.

"We decided to come." Kaitlyn said as she patted his shoulder.

"Where are Ellyn, Danny, and Carlos?" Zoey asked.

"They're on some ride."

"Why are you sitting here?"

"I don't know." Conner chuckled.

"Well, here they come now." Kaitlyn pointed towards the three kids walking in their direction.

"Hi Ms. Sanderson." They greeted.

"Hi kids, how are you?"

"Pretty good." Danny and Carlos answered with a smile.

"It's nice to see that you came with Zo." Ellyn said.

"We just came from Stewarts. So what are you guys up to?"

"Well, we just wasted all of our tickets." Danny said.

"So going on more rides won't happen." Carlos laughed.

"Let's head to the arcade then." Zoey suggested.

"Yeah, good idea." They all started walking towards the arcade when Zoey's cell phone started to ring. Everyone stopped in place while she took out her phone from her bag. She looked at it and saw Tommy's name show up on the caller I.D.

"Tommy's calling me..." she choked out. "I wonder what he wants." He flipped the phone open and sighed.

"Hello?" she said a little puzzled.

"Hi, Zo?" he replied on the other line.

"Yeah, hi Tommy. What can I-"

"Hey listen," Tommy said interrupting her. "Mr. Rush needs you and Jacky to come by the band room now."

"For what? Is something wrong?" Zoey asked. Everyone looked at her with confusion written on their faces. She shrugged her shoulders with no knowledge of what was going on.

"I don't know. He called me up and asked me to call you, Jacky, and Alana. So that's what I'm doing. Can you come in the next ten minutes?"

"Uh yeah, sure I can." she replied as she gave Kaitlyn a questioning look. She gave her a quick nod. "I'll be there ASAP."

"Awesome. See you in a bit."

"Alright then, bye." Zoey hung up and looked at everyone.

"Everything okay, Zo?" Carlos asked.

"I'm...not sure. Tommy said that Mr. Rush wanted me at the high school." She answered unsurely.

"For what?" Ellyn asked.

"Who knows? All he said was to get there. So I have to go."

"Why don't we head there now then?" Kaitlyn suggested.

"Thanks. I'll see you guys later." Zoey and Kaitlyn waved good-bye and made their way back to the car.

Ten minutes later, they pulled into the back parking lot of the high school. Kaitlyn stopped in front of the doors that led to the band room.

"I'll call you whenever this is done." Zoey said as she got out the car.

"Alright sweetie. I'll be at Terrence's place, so I'm not too far away." Kaitlyn replied.

"Okay thanks." Zoey closed the car and Kaitlyn waved good-bye. She walked through the doors and straight into the band room. She looked around to see an empty room. She glanced over to Mr. Rush's office window and saw him inside with Jacky, Tommy, and Alana. She made her way to the office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." she heard Mr. Rush say.

"Hey Zo." Jacky greeted as she walked in.

"Hey everyone. So, what's up with the emergency meeting?" Zoey questioned.

"Yeah, Kevin. I was just about to go to work when Thomas here called me." Alana said.

"Well for one Miss McKenzie, you can't call me Kevin until you graduate." Mr. Rush stated.

"Okay then, _Mr. Rush_, what's with this?" Alana snapped at him.

"I had you four come here because we have a slight problem. The pep rally on Friday was switched to another day. Apparently the staff wants us to do our show for the high school _and_ the middle school." Mr. Rush said.

"The middle school? Are you kidding?" Jacky said.

"Nope. They want us to give both schools a preview of what we have for our program here. I told them that I can give them what we have done already, and possibly some of the third song. They also want us to demonstrate some things."

"Oh wow, that's kind of unexpected." Tommy said.

"And when do they want us to do this exactly?" Alana asked.

"Tomorrow…" Mr. Rush doubtfully answered.

"Tomorrow?" All four of the students screamed.

"The first day of school? Are they crazy?" Zoey asked.

"What possessed them to change the pep rally date to tomorrow?" Alana chimed in.

"They had to change the date anyway due to the football game on Friday. It's way up in Freehold so the pep rally was going to get cut really short. Changing it to tomorrow, I don't think that was the smartest thing to do." Mr. Rush informed them.

"But the first day of school? Well nothing beats missing class for a prep rally." Jacky said with a shrug.

"Eh, well we get to do the show one way or another I suppose." Tommy added.

"So what do you want to do?" Zoey asked Mr. Rush.

"I want to call an emergency rehearsal so we can review songs one and two, then perform the two tomorrow along with marching demonstrations. Maybe even learn a little bit of song three, just in case they want a longer performance. If I can get that done, we don't have to waste the rest of the week and just work on stand music indoors. We'll run the show a couple of times for Friday's game."

"That seems like a good idea." Jacky said.

"So emergency rehearsal it is." Tommy, Zoey and Jacky gave Mr. Rush a quick nod, but Alana looked angry and worried.

"I can't do it. I have to go to work in five minutes. Plus, I don't know song two or three." She replied quietly.

"What do you mean 'you don't know song two or three', Alana?"

"I know it…just not that well. I forgot most of it."

"Alana, we had this conversation once before." Mr. Rush said aggravated.

"I know that. I just haven't worked on it as much since the last rehearsal." Alana answered.

"So are you telling me that you don't know rest of the show too?" Alana didn't say a word. Mr. Rush rubbed his face and looked at Alana. "Alana, you're supposed to know the show. You're the one who's running the show with Tommy, not me."

"I know that. I'm sorry." Alana pleaded.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I'm sorry to have named you as one of my leaders. I can't believe you don't know the show. I can't have Tommy do it all by himself. Half way through song one and the end of song two I have him back field with half the band. There's no way he can conduct the band like that. And this is the third time you came to me with these excuses." Mr. Rush said angrily. Jacky and Zoey looked at Mr. Rush, and then at each other. Jacky had a very big smile on her face. Zoey tried to study Jacky's face, wondering what she was thinking of. Jacky leaned over towards Tommy and whispered something in his ear. He had nodded and smiled at Zoey too.

"What?" she asked.

"Mr. Rush, what if we have Zoey take Alana's place tomorrow and conduct the show with Tommy?" Jacky suggested.

"Say what?" Alana and Zoey shouted together. Zoey glanced over at Mr. Rush, who was now processing the thought in his mind. She looked back at Jacky and Tommy, then Alana. Her face started to frown.

"Are you kidding?" Alana snapped.

"Zoey, you know the show pretty well and you know you're charts." Tommy said.

"You know the whole show from the back of your hand. You're the assistant drum major. So you're perfect for the job." Jacky added.

"Jacky, you're the assistant drum major too!" Zoey claimed.

"Yeah I know, but you want to be drum major way more than I do. I know the show and everything, but just not as well as you. Plus Zo, you have more conducting experience than I do."

"Well that is a nice idea, but who would march Zoey's spot if she's on the sideline conducting?" Mr. Rush asked with concern.

"Don't you remember? That freshman Kayla is Zoey's shadower. She knows Zoey's charts for songs one and two." Tommy said.

"Oh yes, I forgot you had a shadower. So, would you be up to it Miss Rivera?" Mr. Rush asked Zoey. Zoey blankly stared at the people around her. While Alana was giving her the death stare, she could feel Tommy and Jacky shooting their eyes at her with excitement. She continued to look at Mr. Rush, not knowing what to say.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this long chapter! So, what do you think Zoey will say? Will she agree to be Alana's temporarily replacement? Or will she give Alana the satisfaction and back down? Leave some reviews and let me know what you think! The next chapter will be up soon!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**And we're back! Small recap of chapter 1: started with Zoey and Kaitlyn at the middle school getting ready for the first day of school, they leave and meet up with Conner and a few other students at the pier, Zoey gets a 911 call from Tommy about an "emergency meeting", and now Zoey is at the high school with Tommy, Jacky, and our pal Alana having the meeting with Mr. Rush. From where we left off, Alana didn't seem to be a happy camper. How will Mr. Rush deal with Alana's opinion about the situation? What will Zoey do?**

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><p><em>"Oh yes, I forgot you had a shadower. So, would you be up to it Miss Rivera?" Mr. Rush asked Zoey. Zoey blankly stared at the people around her. While Alana was giving her the death stare, she could feel Tommy and Jacky shooting their eyes at her with excitement. She continued to look at Mr. Rush, not knowing what to say.<em>

*****!*****

"Are you being serious right now? You just can't take me out and have her replace me!" Alana shouted with anger.

"I think I can, Alana. After all, I AM the band director. Since you don't know the show, I have to lay down the law and give you some consequences, which means taking you out and having one of my assistant drum majors step up. And until you do decide to learn the show, you're going to have to sit out or march her spot if Kayla cannot handle it." Mr. Rush said firmly.

"I can't believe this. This is complete bull shit. I can't believe you're actually going to consider this."

"I'm done with the games, Alana. If you're not serious about being one of my drum majors, then I can't keep you here."

As Alana opened her mouth to say something, the alarm on her phone started to ring. "Great, now I'm late for work!" She stormed out of the room, leaving the door to slam shut behind her.

Mr. Rush rubbed his forehead and looked over towards Tommy. "Can you go talk to her please?"

Tommy nodded yes and got up to go after his partner. Jacky started to feel uncomfortable with all the tension in the room. She got up and turned to Mr. Rush. "I'll go help Tommy..." she said quietly.

"Thank you, Jacky." Mr. Rush said with a sigh. Jacky closed the door, leaving Zoey and Mr. Rush alone.

"So Zoey, are you willing to Alana's spot for now?" Mr. Rush asked eagerly.

*****!*****

"Alana! Alana!" Tommy shouted as he ran outside the school doors. He looked around to find her, but she was nowhere in sight. Jacky soon appeared behind him, standing at the door.

"Did she leave yet?"

"I don't think so..." Tommy responded. He studied each row to find Alana's car. He spotted a maroon Toyota Corolla parked in the far right corner of the parking lot. "Jacky, she's still here!"

The two ran quickly to the back of the lot. Alana was sitting in her car, talking on the phone. She quickly looked into her rearview mirror and noticed two people running in her direction. She turned around to see Tommy and Jacky running. _Fantastic, _she thought to herself. She forced her car key into the ignition and turned on her car.

"Alana, wait!" Tommy screamed as he ran up to the driver's side window.

Alana glared at Tommy through the glass for a few seconds. She finally gave and rolled the window down. "Can I help you, Tommy?"

"You know Rush is right..." he began.

"If that's what you came here to tell me, then I don't want to hear it." Alana stated as she started to put up the window.

"Hold on, Alana." Alana stopped and looked at Tommy.

"What do you want? I'm already late for work."

"I just want to help...you're my partner. We're suppose to work together, Alana. We're supposed to be the best of the band. If one of us doesn't know what we're doing, then we both look bad."

Alana's jaw dropped, stunned to hear what her partner has said. "Are you trying to say that I suck as a drum major?" she asked loudly.

"No! No, no, I'm not, Alana." Tommy replied nervously.

Alana huffed and shook her head, shaking the words out of her mind. "Then what are you saying, Tommy?" At this point, Alana is starting to become very frustrated, just wanting to leave and stay away from band.

Tommy took a deep breath and leveled himself, coming face to face with Alana. "All I'm saying is that I want you as my drum major, I really do. If you can't apply yourself and learn the show, then I think it is better to have someone else take the job, for now." Alana began to roll her eyes and laugh. "I'm serious, Alana. I want you to learn the show and get back on the podium, but if you're taking it as a joke, then why bother?"

"Oh give it a break, Tommy! I think we both know there's a certain flautist you'd rather have as your partner."

"What are you talking about? You play flute, you know."

"Seems like you moved on." Alana shook her head again and sighed. "Look, I seriously need to go." With that, she put her car in reverse and backed out of her parking spot. Seconds later, she sped off and left the school parking lot.

Jacky slowly walked up to Tommy, giving him a questionable look. "So...now what?"

Tommy sighed deeply, looking at the empty spot in front of him. "We hope that Zoey says yes..."

*****!*****

"Zoey? Will do you it?" Mr. Rush asked again.

"Uh..." Zoey was lost for words. She wants to say yes, but she fears the fate that lies before her when dealing with Alana. She looked at Mr. Rush, who was now tapping his hand on the desk in a pattern of sixteenth notes. He seemed very anxious and worried. Zoey coughed and said quietly, "Yeah, sure. I'll take it."

"YES!" Tommy and Jacky screamed from outside the office. Zoey turned around quickly to see the two standing outside the door through the window. They barged into the room and hugged Zoey tightly.

"Well, that settles it. Okay you three, start calling people and have them high tail it here ASAP." Mr. Rush ordered. Jacky and Tommy nodded and left the office to begin making phone calls.

"Wow…I'm actually going to run the show as an actual drum major." Zoey said in disbelief.

"Think of it as practice, Zoey. You will need for next year, even though I think you'll do just fine. Depending on how things go, I might just keep you as the second drum major and make Alana march your spot." Mr. Rush said.

"Really? Just like that?"

"Alana is a great drum major, but I would rather keep her on the field. It's less drama to deal with. She's not half bad on the flute either."

"Oh wow. Seems like she'll be my competition for concert band next year, huh?"

"I guess you can say that. Anyway for the rehearsal, I'll need you to march your spots a few times. I want to add in some visual effects for the pep rally. Then I'll have Tommy run it a few times with you marching it. After we get through that, I want Tommy to run the show with you and with Kayla marching, that way we're set for tomorrow and Friday."

"Looks like we have a lot to get done tonight. Don't worry, everything will work out."

"Thank you again for doing this, Zoey. It really means a lot."

"No problem, Mr. Rush." Zoey replied as she stood up from her chair. "It's for the good sake of the band. I can't let them down."

"That's a good thing to know." Mr. Rush said with a smile. "I'll be back. I'm going to go open the gate so we can get to the field." Mr. Rush grabbed his keys and walked out the room. Zoey slowly walked out the office and grinned. She was going to be drum major, temporarily that is.

*****!*****

Twenty minutes later, the full band, except for Alana, was seated in the band room with their instruments. Mr. Rush signaled the band to quiet down and wait for instruction.

"Hi everyone and thank you so much for coming on such short notice. We ran into a slight change of plans at the last minute. Instead of performing at the pep rally on Friday like we normally had planned, the pep rally was changed to tomorrow and we're performing for the high school and the middle school. I have informed both schools of what is supposed to be going on. Both schools will sit on the home side, praying that it can fit both schools. If not, then the middle school will be placed on the visitor's side. The pep rally will be at the end of the day, like around one forty. So that would be period G for us. What period is it for you guys at the middle school?" Mr. Rush asked looking at this eighth graders.

"It's the same for us. We have period G." Jacky said.

"Okay so that works out perfectly. So the reason I have you all here is because I want to add some visual stuff to the show for this week. We're also doing a marching demonstration so I want to go over basic stuff with you as well."

"What are we going to do the rest of the week till Friday?" one student asked.

"We're probably just going to work on stand music in the band class. So if you're not in the class, take your folios home with you and practice. We're going to run the show a couple of times too. However, most of the rehearsals will be indoors." Mr. Rush said. He looked at the floor thinking of something else he had to say. "Oh yes, before I forget, I liked to announce that I made another change for this week." He added. Everyone was a bit confused and started to chatter amongst each other.

"Right now, we have a little predicament going on with Alana. She doesn't know the show like Tommy and I thought. She won't be running the show with Tommy tomorrow or on Friday."

"Then who will?" someone from the clarinet section asked.

"Yeah, who will be drum major, Mr. Rush?" another student from the trombone section asked.

"We have the back field stuff, so how can Tommy conduct back field and front field?" another student from the trumpet line chimed in.

"I solved the problem. I'd like to announce that our very own, "Mr. Rush pointed towards Zoey, "Zoey Rivera will be taking Alana's spot this week." Everyone in the band gasped and then started to applaud and cheer for Zoey. She just sat there and smiled.

"And if Alana doesn't get her act together anytime before our first competition at Manchester, Zoey will permanently take her place for the remainder of the season. She has up to the fourth football game against Pt. Pleasant to know the show like she was supposed to back in June." Mr. Rush said.

"So does that mean I'll be marching Zo's spot if she takes Alana's spot?" Kayla, the young freshman, asked shyly.

"Yes it does. I am thinking about putting Alana on the field if I need her though. It's nothing against you, Kayla. You just came two weeks ago and started shadowing. Alana is a strong musician and depending on how the flutes, and the band in general, sound without one the strongest flute players and one of the two piccolo players on the field, I might use her. If not, then you'll stay. I might have you play piccolo with Jacky as well."

"Oh, that's okay. I totally understand." Kayla answered.

"So...um yeah, that's about it. Am I forgetting anything?" Mr. Rush looked over at Tommy. He shook his head no.

"Where's Alana?" a student from the saxophone section asked.

"She had to work today. I don't think she would have stayed for the rehearsal anyway." Tommy said.

"Alright everyone, let's head out to the field." Mr. Rush grabbed his sunglasses, book, and the blow horn. Everyone made their way out the door and walked through the parking lot to the field. Zoey grabbed her charts, music, piccolo, flute, and Alana's book from the floor. She turned around and bumped into Tommy, who happened to be right behind her.

"Whoa, sorry Tommy. I didn't know you were there." She laughed.

"Its okay, Zo. Here, let me help you out." Tommy said as he grabbed her instruments.

"Thanks. I have too much stuff." The two made their way outside and started to walk to the field.

"So, ready to take on the challenge and run the show?"

"Yeah, totally. I'm ready to go." Zoey placed her sunglasses on her face and smiled. Tommy laughed and finally caught up with the band. The band got into their warm up block and began to stretch their bodies. It was going to be a very long rehearsal...

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><p><strong>Next up, the emergency rehearsal! And Tommy seems to be getting pretty close to Zoey...hmm...stay tuned! Reviews are greatly appreciated, btw :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello FFN world! I present to you the next chapter! Sorry for the extremely long wait! School is stressing me out already and it's only the 4th week.**

****S/N: so far I have a pretty decent amount of people reading the story, which is awesome, but no reviews. I want to know if you're enjoying it or not, anything I can change or do? Your feedback would definitely be a big help! So please help me out here. I want to make the story more interesting for you guys, after all you're the ones that are reading it! Any-hoo, back to the story!****

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><p>Tommy ran over to the drum major podium and sat Zoey's stuff next to it. He then climbed up the podium and led the band through breathing exercises. Zoey took her spot in the warm up block and joined in on the exercises. Mr. Rush walked through the warm up block, just observing what was going on. He walked to the front of the block and motioned Zoey to step out. They walked off the field and turned towards the field to watch the band.<p>

"I'm going to run the first two songs a few times with Kayla following you. We'll chart song three since it's pretty short, then run that a few times. After that, we'll have the break and run the three songs a bunch of times so you can get comfortable conducting."

"Sounds good, I guess." Zoey responded quietly. Mr. Rush gave her a small nod and excused her back to her spot in the warm up block.

"Okay guys, pick up your instruments." Tommy commanded. Once everyone in the band had their instruments up, he clapped his hands together to set a steady tempo.

"To the ready!" he shouted.

"Kayla," Mr. Rush began as he walked over to the sideline. "I want you to switch spots with Zoey. Zo, come stand on the sideline and conduct the warm ups with Tommy." The two girls switched places and Zoey stood on the sideline waiting for Tommy's next move.

"Detail attend hut!"

"Hut!" the band shouted in unison.

"Band horns up!" The band raised their instruments while the drum line clicked their sticks together. Tommy raised his arms and began the warm up exercises with Zoey mimicking everything he did on the sideline. After the band went through all five warm up exercises, Mr. Rush instructed them to get into the first chart of the show.

Zoey stood in her spot with Kayla right behind her.

"To the ready!" Mr. Rush shouted. "Detail attend hut!"

"Hut!" the band responded.

"Detail parade hut!"

"Hut!" the band shouted as they crossed their arms and stuck out their left foot.

"Alright, we're going to run songs one and two a few times, just to get Kayla comfortable. I still want you to perform the songs. Tommy and I will try our best to make the transitions simple as we go from one song to the other. Tommy, it's your band." Mr. Rush said as he stood on the sideline.

Tommy gave his director a small nod and faced the band before him. "Detail attend hut!"

"Hut!" the band responded in unison.

"Band horns up!" Once the instruments were up, Tommy made eye contact with the center snare drum at the back of the field. He counted the band into the first song and started their first of many run throughs.

*****!*****

Two hours into the rehearsal and the band got a lot of work completed. They ran the two songs about five times for Kayla's sake. Mr. Rush had faith in the young freshman and wanted to make sure that she was confident enough to be a part of the group, hopefully for good. Once Kayla was comfortable with the charts and music, Mr. Rush took Zoey out and let her march in the empty spot.

The band ran the two songs about five more times to let Zoey practice conducting the songs with Tommy. During the two sets of run throughs, Mr. Rush was able to add in visual effects to spice up the songs. He was even able to add choreography for Zoey and Tommy when they switch places in songs one and two. Within the last half hour, the band just finished charting song three and ran it twice with Zoey marching her spot, then a few more times with Kayla marching. Mr. Perez showed up to the rehearsal and took time out to work on dynamics and other things in the music.

At this point of the rehearsal, Zoey knew the whole show by heart and Kayla did a perfect job on marching her spot in the flute line.

After the hard work they put in, the band was granted their ten-minute break. Some of the boys from the drum line and low brass section got together on the field to play football with Mr. Rush joining in on the fun as well. Some of the band members and guard girls sat in the bleachers while others sat along the sideline talking and watching the boys and Mr. Rush on the field. Tommy sat on the podium talking to Mr. Perez about some concerns he had with the musical changes, leaving Zoey alone at the picnic area near the cafeteria doors, talking to Kaitlyn on her cell phone.

"I'm glad the rehearsal is going well, sweetheart. You're actually a drum major. Hey, you didn't even have to try out." Kaitlyn laughed over the phone.

"Yeah, but I think it will only be for this week. I know Alana is pissed and she's probably going to talk to Rush about everything. I'd really be surprised if she doesn't have everything together by the Pt. Pleasant game. I know that she'll work her butt off to get back on his good side."

"Well, she was supposed to know what she needed to know by now. How cool would it be to take her place and be the drum major though? Kevin's first eighth grade drum major."

"I have to admit, it would be very cool." Zoey giggled. "I would feel bad about it though. I have always thought about being the drum major one day, ever since I joined marching band...just not this way..."

"Yeah, I know, but you really have earned it though. Kevin would never agree to the idea if he didn't think you were capable of doing it. You're a hard worker and natural leader, Zo."

"If you say so..."

"I know so. Don't worry about it too much. Everything will work out."

"I guess you're right." Zoey fixed herself to face the field and watch the football game. She noticed Tommy waving at her from the podium to come on over to the field. "Well, it looks like I have to go. I'm being called away." she laughed.

"Okay then. What time is the rehearsal over?"

"I guess in the next hour or so."

"Alright. If your mom doesn't come to pick you up, give me a call and I'll get you. I'm over at Terrence's place, so I'm close by."

"Okay, sounds good. Talk to you later." Zoey hung up the call and ran over to the field. She gathered her instruments, music, and Alana's book and placed it in her bag, then walked over to the podium to stand next to Tommy.

Mr. Rush sat on the podium, motioning the band to gather around. "First things first, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for coming here on short notice, thank you for working hard, and thank you for not complaining about how hard I worked you all." he said with a small chuckle. Some of the students cheered and clapped. He gestured them to quiet down and continued his speech. "It's pretty late and I know you all must be exhausted. I think we did everything possible to prepare for tomorrow and this weekend, so I'm going to let you go now." Everyone cheered in excitement.

"Uh, Eric, do you have anything to say?" Mr. Perez walked over and stood in front of the podium.

"Just one note: REMEMBER THE MUSIC CHANGES PEOPLE!" he shouted. The students laughed at his out burst, but knew that he was very serious. "If you do what we did tonight during tomorrow's pep rally and at the game on Friday, you'll be in good shape for the season. And on that note, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

The band said their goodbyes to the assistant band director and refocused their attention on Mr. Rush. "Again, awesome job tonight, guys. You've earned it, really. I want to thank you all again for coming out tonight. We managed to chart all of song three and fixed it up so it could be ready for tomorrow." Mr. Rush glanced through the crowd and smiled softly. "I also want to give Zoey another thank you for taking this spot on short notice. She has done an amazing job learning everything. Zoey, you'll do great tomorrow." Everyone turned towards Zoey and started to clap and cheer. "Tommy? Anything you want to say?" Mr. Rush asked once the cheering died down.

"Yep." Tommy stood in front of the podium, just like Mr. Perez did moments before. "Everyone, make sure you bring everything you need to perform tomorrow. Everything includes your marching shoes, a white t-shirt, gray shorts tomorrow, and knee high white socks. We are dressing in full uniform so please remember to bring what you need."

"Oh yes, good point, Tommy. Bring your stuff with you to school tomorrow. You can always leave it in the band room. I'll have one of the practice rooms open to store your stuff. And if you happen to forget anything, make sure you get it to the school by noon." Mr. Rush took out his phone and noticed it was almost nine o'clock. "Alright, you're all dismissed. Make sure the band room is cleaned before you leave. I do have to teach tomorrow morning."

"Remember everyone, reporting time is noon!" Tommy added in. Everyone started to disperse and make their way to the band room with their flags, instruments and music. The drum line decided to play their cadence on their way back to the room, with the tuba line dancing with their sousaphones and some of the guard girls spinning their flags.

"Tommy," Mr. Rush called as he got off the podium.

"Yes sir?"

"I need you to gather up the guard captains and Zoey before you all leave. We need to come up with something for the salute."

"Oh yeah...we didn't get a chance to do that before the rehearsal." Tommy said quietly.

"Exactly. I completely forgot about it until now. So get them all together for me? We'll work out something in the room."

"Sure thing. I'll let them know."

"Thanks, Tom." Mr. Rush patted his shoulder and give him a smile. He took out his cell phone and walked off making a phone call.

Tommy sighed deeply and started to take down the podium. Once he was settled, he grabbed his book from the grass and began his trip to the band room with the podium. He noticed Zoey not too far ahead and couldn't help but laugh. She had a little trouble keeping her balance while walking. She managed to reach the picnic tables by the cafeteria, even though she left the field a little before Mr. Rush did.

"Want a piggy back ride?" Tommy offered as he caught up with her.

Zoey laughed with exhaustion as she saw the podium in Tommy's hands. "I think your hands are full as it is. You don't need my weight on top of that."

"You know you're tired. Hop on." Tommy said as he patted his lower back.

Zoey sighed and gave in. "Sure, why not?" Zoey jumped onto Tommy's back. Tommy grabbed the podium with one hand and held Zoey on his back with the other hand, then continued their path to the band room.

"You did an awesome job tonight, Rivera."

"Thanks." Zoey said as her cheeks turned pink. "I was a little nervous to be quite honest. Once I got the feel of it, it was really nice. Thank you for suggesting it to Mr. Rush."

"No problem. I picked the best girl for the job." Tommy smiled.

"Sure...we both know you want your original 'partner in crime' back. I just happened to be there when the decision was made." Zoey joked.

"I don't know about that..."

Zoey felt confused about the comment Tommy made. "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't get me wrong," he began with a sigh. "I like Alana as my partner, but she can be a real pain in the ass to work with. She has good intentions and she is very talented, but her attitude sucks. I can't say that I'm completely sorry for what happened."

"I suppose that is reasonable."

"Well, what else can I do? Begging Rush to let her back in would only give her the satisfaction of winning."

"Did you talk to her about it?"

"I did. I tried to convince her to come back and talk to Rush. I tried to convince her into learning her shit, but like always, she gave me an attitude and sped off in her car."

"Worse than how she reacted when Rush asked me to replace her?"

"Not really...she sort of despises you right now." Tommy laughed.

"Of course she does..." Zoey whispered. The duo arrived outside the back doors of the school. Cars were lined up in the parking lot and kids started to depart from the school. Zoey hopped off of Tommy's back and helped him bring the podium into the band room.

After storing the podium in the instrument storage room, Tommy walked out the back door into the hallway to look for the guard captains. Zoey made her way to Mr. Rush's office and sat down in a chair, slouching in it to become comfortable. She glanced up at the clock on the wall behind Mr. Rush's desk. It read 9:18.

Seconds later, she heard her name being called from the room by three people. Zoey didn't feel like getting up, but she knew it had to be important. She took out her phone to see if Kaitlyn called. Nothing. She sighed again as she got up from the chair and walked out of the office. Mr. Rush stood by his desk on the ground tier of the room with Tommy and the two guard captains, senior member Kelly and junior member Sara.

"What's up? I thought we were done." Zoey said as she joined the group.

"I forgot to tell you all that we need to come up with a salute for tomorrow and Friday." Mr. Rush replied back.

"What's the point of making a salute? We don't know if Alana is coming back yet." Kelly added.

"I don't think I'm going to let her back in..." Mr. Rush confirmed. The four students turned and gave him a questioning look. "Well, not as the drum major anyway."

"Are you positive about this?" Tommy asked.

"At the moment, I'm not too sure. It's where I'm leaning towards though." Mr. Rush got up from his desk and made his way to his office. "Come up with something and show me it tomorrow." With that, he walked into the office and slammed his door shut.

The four students, still in awe, stood in place not knowing what else to do.

"So...Alana is out for good?" Sara asked quietly. Zoey shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a seat in the first row of chairs.

"Seems so." Tommy replied as he sat on the desk.

"That's not fair!" Kelly exclaimed. She quickly turned to Zoey with a sympathetic look. "No offense to you, Zoey, but she's our friend. Rush said he would give her a fair chance to prove herself. Then he goes and automatically kicks her out for good."

"You heard what Rush said, Kelly. He's not sure about it yet." Tommy said.

"It doesn't mean it's not in affect now though!" Kelly shouted.

"What else do you want from him? The guy is stressing over a lot of things right now, Kelly! He can't deal with the damn drama that Alana carries around with her!" Tommy said defensively.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean! You're her damn partner! Back her up! Get her spot back!"

"You're her friend! You obviously care more than I do about it!" Tommy shouted as he got into Kelly's face.

"OF COURSE I DO! Why wouldn't I, Tommy? I can't say I'm surprised that you don't care."

"Just hold on a minute. I don't care? _I _don't care? The last time I checked, you wasn't there during drum major academy when the bitch broke down after our squad leader tore her into shreds!"

"Don't go there, Tommy! You have no right to call her that!" Kelly screamed and she pushed him away. Fiery and anger was burning inside the two students.

"You guys! Calm down! No need to pick a fight here. This is between Alana and Mr. Rush, not the four of you." Sara said jumping in between her friends. "Now look, we obviously care about Alana, but whatever she chooses to do with the band is up to her and Mr. Rush." She glanced over to say something to Zoey, but she was already gone.

"Great job, you two. You chased off the poor girl." Sara said with anger. Tommy and Kelly turned towards the front row and acknowledged the empty space that was once occupied.

"So now what?" Kelly asked with frustration.

"You know what...Tommy, go find Zoey and just head home. Kelly and I will think of something tomorrow morning during first period and we'll go over when we meet up for the pep rally."

"Say what?" Kelly asked. Sara gave her co-captain the evil eye, letting her know she was done arguing. "Yeah...we'll come up with something." she responded.

"We'll see you tomorrow." Sara said quietly. She gave Tommy a small squeeze on his arm and left the band room with Kelly. Tommy let out a heavy sigh and noticed that he was being watched from Mr. Rush's office.

"That went well." Mr. Rush said sarcastically.

"Want to rethink that last statement?"

"Go find Rivera. Head home. Turn the lights off and close the door on your way out." Mr. Rush ordered as he left the room.

After locking the band room, Tommy to think of where Zoey could have disappeared to. He walked around the near by hallways, but found nothing but darkness. He made his way back towards the band room and noticed the door closing slowly. _Zoey..._

Tommy ran out the door and spotted Zoey sitting on concrete.

"You need a ride, Zo?" Tommy asked.

"No thanks." Zoey smiled weakly.

"Come on. I'm not going to leave you here by yourself."

"It's fine, Tommy. I have a ride." Zoey said angrily. Tommy stared at her, knowing she was lying. A couple of minutes later, she finally gave in and accepted the ride home. The drive was quiet and Zoey had no intentions of speaking to Tommy.

Ten minutes later, Tommy pulled up in front of Zoey's house and put his car into park. He shifted his-self so he was now facing Zoey.

"If anything I said offended you, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to direct anything about Alana towards you."

"It's fine. I should have expected this from the upperclassmen. Especially those that are friends with Alana. They really must hate my guts." Zoey responded quietly.

"No, it's not that at all. We're just..." Tommy stopped to rethink what he was going to say. "We're just frustrated with how this whole situation went down. Doesn't mean I'm not happy to have you as my new partner though."

"Don't you mean 'temporary partner,' Tommy?" Zoey asked as she faced him in her seat.

"No, I don't. I mean, I'd like to have Alana back, but I think I'm okay with having you at my side instead." Tommy said with a small smile.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I think I am. If anything, Alana gets to be in the show somehow. If she gets to be assistant drum major with Jacky, then it means that Mr. Rush is acting being extremely nice."

Zoey laughed at Tommy's comment, thinking of Jacky and how she would react if that were to actually happen. "I guess you're right."

"Listen, Zo...you don't have anything to worry about. Everything will work out fine. Just enjoy tomorrow and this Friday for what it's worth. Sounds good?" Zoey gave Tommy a small nod with a smile.

"Thanks for the ride home, Tommy."

"No problem. See you tomorrow." Zoey grabbed her bags from the floor and opened the car door. She looked back at Tommy and smiled.

"Thanks again...knowing that you're okay with having me as your partner is great. I don't feel as bad anymore."

"Good night, Zoey." Tommy smiled.

"Good night." Zoey got out the car and closed the door. She waved goodbye to Tommy as he drove off. She walked over to her front porch and collapsed with exhaustion.

"Seems like you had a rough night after all." a familiar voice said. Zoey sat up to see Conner making his way over from his house.

"Spying on me, I see." she laughed.

"Not exactly. I just happened to be walking home from Danny's. He told he rehearsal was tough." Conner sat next to Zoey on the porch. She sat back and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You have no idea. I just want to get this entire week over and done with."

"Hey now, no need to rush anything. We still have to start the school year." Conner joked.

"Yeah, don't remind me. It's just more stress added on to my list."

"Well I know something that will take your mind off of things."

Zoey looked up at Conner and smiled. "Oh yeah? And what exactly do you have in mind?"

"Sitting by a huge fire pit making s'mores."

"That definitely sounds amazing." Both Zoey and Conner rose up from the porch and walked over to Conner's house, ending their last night of summer vacation by the fire.

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><p><strong>Next up, the first day of school!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay, first day of school for Zoey and the gang! I always loved the first day of school...it was such an exciting day; seeing friends, meeting new teachers, new lockers, new classes, new grade! **

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><p>Wednesday morning; the first day of school for Seaside Heights. Zoey woke bright and early. She was fully dressed and set to go to school. It was only ten past seven and school didn't start for another thirty-five minutes. She was really excited for school. It was the beginning of a new grade and her last year in the middle school.<p>

Zoey sat around the kitchen table eating a bowl of Reese's Puffs cereal while watching the local news channel on the small TV on the kitchen counter. Her little brother, Jesse, walked in a few minutes later, practically dragging his feet across the floor.

"What's wrong with you? Didn't get enough sleep?" she asked as she ate a spoonful of cereal.

"Oh, I slept. I just don't feel like going to school." Jesse replied. He grabbed a bowl of the counter and sat at the table with his sister. He poured the Reese's Puffs into his bowl, followed by the milk.

"It's only the first day. You can be somewhat excited, you know."

"I think I'll take my chances, Zo."

Zoey laughed and continued to eat her cereal, only to be disturb by her cell phone vibrating on the kitchen counter.

"Who's calling me this early?" she asked out loud. She walked over to the counter and picked up her phone. She smiled when she saw Kaitlyn's name on the caller ID.

"Hey, Katie."

"Good morning, sweetie. How are you? Excited for today?" Kaitlyn said on the other line.

"Oh yeah, totally. I'm so ecstatic. Today is going to be a fun one."

"That a nice positive attitude. So, do you and Jesse need a ride?"

"I do, but I'm not too sure about Jesse though. I think my dad is going to take him."

"Does Conner need one too?"

"I'd assume so."

"Okay then. I'll be there in ten. Make sure Conner is there on time. It would be to nice to change some things this year." Kaitlyn laughed.

"You know Conner...never on time for stuff. Anyway, I'll give him a call now."

"Okay. See you in a bit."

"Okay, bye." Zoey hung up and then dialed Conner's number. She couldn't help but laugh when she heard him groan over the phone.

"Yeah?" he responded quietly.

"Con, if you need a ride, be here in ten. Katie said she'll give us a ride."

"Okay…no…problem…" Conner said with a few yawns in between. Zoey hung up and sat back down to finish her cereal.

Once she was done with breakfast, Zoey grabbed her back pack and sat on the front porch to wait for Kaitlyn. Four minutes later, she spotted Conner walking towards her house, surprisingly fully awake.

"Wow, you're actually early. Six minutes early to be exact." Zoey said looking at her phone.

"I know. It's something new I'm going to try out this year. It's called 'actually being on time for things'." Conner sat next to Zoey on the porch.

"Yeah as Mr. Smith always say: 'if you're early, you're on time',"

"'And if you're on time, you're late'." Conner finished. "He is too funny."

"That's what Mr. Rush always says too. It works on getting most of the band to rehearsal on time."

"That's surprising."

"Yeah it is." Zoey said with a chuckle.

"So the pep rally is today, right?"

"Don't remind me."

"Are you nervous or something?"

"Nervous? Oh no. What's there to be nervous about? I'll only be running the show with a senior in front of the whole high school and middle school. And I might mess up, but me being nervous? Yeah, sure, okay." Zoey said anxiously.

"You're a wreck, aren't you?" Conner asked as he placed his arm around Zoey's shoulders.

"You have no idea." Zoey dropped her head on top of Conner's shoulder. He looked down at his friend and rubbed her back.

"Zo, you really don't have anything to be nervous about. I've seen you run the extra marching clinics this summer; I've seen you at your games and competitions last year; you're amazing. You are a strong marcher and player. You definitely deserve this chance to be the best drum major that high school band has seen in years, and not only because you're a temporary replacement or just because you're an eighth grader; it's because you are very talented and you deserve every minute of it."

Zoey stared at Conner, and she knew that he was right. No matter what the circumstances were, she got the opportunity and she should enjoy it. She gave him a small smile and he bent down and kissed Zoey's forehead.

"Thanks, Conner. I needed that. Surprisingly, I'm not as nervous anymore."

"That's good. And it should stay like that." Conner grinned.

Seconds later, a car pulled up in front of the house and honked the horn. Conner and Zoey looked at the car and saw it was Ms. Sanderson. They grabbed their bags and walked over.

"Good morning, you two." Kaitlyn greeted as the duo got in the car. Zoey took the front seat while Conner sat behind her in the back.

"Morning." They replied unison.

"Are you two set to go?" they both nodded and Kaitlyn drove off. Kaitlyn glanced over to Zoey and smiled softly. "Zoey, are you ready for the pep rally?"

"I am ready to go. I'm actually excited." She answered.

"I can't wait to see the show. Something about Godzilla has always made me happy" Conner laughed.

"I don't think I would go that far, Conner." Ms. Sanderson said with a smile.

*****!*****

Kaitlyn, Zoey and Conner arrived at Seaside Heights Middle School ten minutes later. Kaitlyn decided stop by Dunkin Donuts to grab something to eat for herself and the two teens. Once they got to school, Kaitlyn parked in the back parking, which was in between the high school and middle school. The parking lot was pretty huge, but you were able to see the high school's back doors that led to the band room.

After they parked, Kaitlyn and the duo entered the building through the side doors next to the cafeteria and made their way up to the second floor. They passed by a set of bathrooms, turned the corner, and stopped at their destination. Kaitlyn unlocked the door and turned on the lights. Zoey and Conner walked in after and sat their bags in the first seat of the first two rows.

"Hey, I like the picture board over there." Conner said as he pointed to the back bulletin board with pictures covering it.

"Thank Zoey. She made it." Ms. Sanderson sat at her computer desk and turned it on.

"Good job, Zo."

"Thanks. I think I picked out the perfect pictures for it." Zoey sat down on top of a desk in front of Kaitlyn's desk. "So, do we have the same seats like last year?"

"Yes you do." Ms. Sanderson answered as she got up from the desk. She grabbed a piece of chalk and started to write the agenda on the chalkboard. "I switched Randy and John around though. They are starting to cause me a headache."

"Okay, that's cool." Zoey got up and grabbed her bag. She walked over to the fifth seat in the second row of desks and sat down. "I'm in my seat already." Zoey said with a smile.

"Which means I'm still next to you." Conner said as he sat down in the next row over. Kaitlyn finished writing on the board and took a seat at her desk to sign on the computer.

"First order of business: hand out the locker assignments." She said going through a stack of papers that sat next to her computer..

"We're actually getting them today?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah. The main office got it all set up last week. Talk about getting things done early."

"Good, because I'm not carrying this bag with my marching band stuff all day." Zoey said pointing to her big bag on the desk.

"That would suck." Conner said.

"No worries, kiddo." Kaitlyn looked up at the clock and it was almost time for the students to come in. "Hmm…a couple more minutes and you two will start your first day of school as eighth graders."

"About time. The anticipation has been killing me." Conner said as he shot up from the desk.

"Are you that excited to leave middle school already." Zoey asked her dear friend.

"You have no idea!" Conner grinned.

"The two of you are something else." Kaitlyn laughed. "I'll be right back. I'm going to stop by the eighth grade office." She left the room and walked around the corner to the office.

"I really do hope I'll do fine later…" Zoey said quietly as she stared at the floor.

"Zoey Allyson Rivera, you have absolutely nothing to worry about." Another person said from a far. Zoey and Conner looked over at the door and saw Jacky standing in the door way with DJ.

"I keep telling her that, but she doesn't listen." Conner said throwing his arms up in defeat. Zoey looked at him with a questioning look.

"Zo, you're going to be okay. Don't worry about anything. Get through to period F and you'll be fine." DJ said.

"I know, I know. Its just…nerve wracking for me, that's all." Zoey said defensively.

"How do you think Kayla feels? She's the one marching your spot." Jacky added.

"Yeah, that poor girl." Zoey said back. She thought about Kayla and all of the stuff she had to learn just to march Zoey's spot in the show.

"Trust me Zoey, you'll be great." Jacky reassured her. The first school bell rang and the hallways instantly started to fill up with students.

"Well, we'll see you two later." DJ said as he and Jacky left the room.

Students started to make their way into the classroom, full of excitement. Everyone started to greet each other, as if they never saw each other over the summer.

"Yeah baby! Today is finally here! The day we start the new year as eighth graders, the rulers of the school!" Randy screamed as he walked into the classroom.

"Randy, did you have an accident before you got here?" Joan groaned as she entered next.

"Oh no, not really. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." Joan took a seat in the last row of desks.

"What's up, everybody?" John yelled as he walked in with Carlos.

"We all know that he had some kind of accident." Cindy said to Mike as they were the next ones to walk in. He nodded and they both laughed in agreement.

"Oh sweet, we have the same seats?" Tierra said as she walked in.

"Yup." Kevin answered following right behind. The second bell rang.

"How do you know, Kevin? We just got here." Tony asked.

"I just ran into Ms. Sanderson and asked. So there you go."

"Hi everyone. It's nice seeing you all. And yes, same seats just like last year." Kaitlyn said with a smile as she walked in. "Once the third bell rings, I'll hand out locker assignments and schedules."

"Good morning, homeroom 270." Terrence Smith said as he walked in.

"Good morning, Mr. Smith!" everyone in the room screamed in excitement.

"Hey you." Kaitlyn chuckled.

"Now what exactly is going on today? Anthony said that we're going over to the high school today for their pep rally?" Terrence asked with an unsure look.

"Yes, that is true. They were supposed to have their pep rally on Friday, but the football game is starting earlier than it was supposed to. So they changed it to today."

"Since when does the middle school participate with the high school pep rallies?"

"I have no idea." Kaitlyn said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"And we're heading over there period G, right?"

"I believe so."

"Alright then. I'll see you later." Terrence leaned closer to Kaitlyn and they shared a small kiss.

"Ooooooooooh!" the class squealed as he walked to the door.

"Oh, be quiet." He said laughing. "Bye guys."

"So long, lover boy!" Carlos yelled. Everyone laughed and started talking among each other.

"Everyone please get to your seats." Kaitlyn instructed. She grabbed two piles of paper off the desks. The third bell rang indicating that homeroom was now starting. The class stood up to do the pledge of allegiance, then sat down to listen to announcements.

"Okay so what I'm going to hand out first is your schedule, then your locker assignment is next." Kaitlyn began passing out the papers to each student. "Once you get your papers, you are free to go out into the hall and set up your lockers. When the bell rings for first period, you can hang out in the hallway because you have me for social studies first."

Kaitlyn continued to walk around the room handing out the papers. The students started to make their way out the classroom and into the hallway.

"Okay...let's see where my locker is." Ellyn said looking at her paper.

"Well, my locker number is 270-10." Zoey said walking up behind her.

"Really? Well then I'm right next to you. My locker number is 270-08."

"Hey, at least our lockers are right by the classroom this year."

"Yeah definitely. We're nice and close, unlike last year when we were around the corner and down the hall." The two girls walked to their lockers and started to throw things inside.

"Sweet, I'm right next to Zoey." Gabby said coming out of her classroom.

"Gabby! That's too awesome." Zoey gave her friend a tight hug.

"I know! Talk about never seeing each other in the morning." Gabby laughed.

"Hello everyone." Danny greeted as he approached the small crowed with Conner and Randy.

"Where are your lockers?" Ellyn asked.

"We're by room 272." Randy said.

"The three of you?" Zoey asked with an unsure look on her face.

"Yeah. It was fate that brought us together." Conner blurted out as he swung his arms around Randy and Danny's necks. The first bell rang for first period and the hallways began packed with students.

"Well that's my cue to go. I have sewing." Gabby said with a disliking face. "What's your first class?"

"Social Studies with Ms. Sanderson." They all replied together.

"Lucky. I finally have her this year for social studies. Not till seventh period though...and too bad I won't have her today."

"She's a fun teacher to have for social studies. You'll like her, Gabs." Conner said.

"Of course I will. Kind of sucks I have to wait till tomorrow to have her. Oh well, I'll see you guys later at lunch." Gabby waved good-bye and took off down the hall.

"This is cool. We get to have a nice break for the next four minutes." Randy said.

"We have the water fountain and the bathrooms right by us too." Ellyn added.

"Most of the class is over there right now." Danny pointed out. Everyone looked over by the staircase and saw that some of their other classmates were talking with a few of their friends by the water fountain. The group walked over to join in the conversation.

"Hey guys!" Jacky, Kenny, April and Lena cheered.

"Hey! Are you four in the same class?" Conner asked as he gave Kenny a good handshake.

"Yeah. The four of us have honor classes again." April replied.

"The good thing is that our homeroom and first class is in room 263, so at least we're near you guys. You're in 270 right?" Lena asked.

"Yup. At least I know where to find you guys for lunch." Zoey laughed. She turned to tell April something, but Jacky grabbed her hand and pulled her into the girls' bathroom.

"Jacky, are you okay?" Zoey asked.

"I'm okay, but I don't know about you though." She replied quietly. She looked to see if any one was in the stalls.

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"I got a text from Tommy saying to warn you, Zo."

"Warn me about what?" Zoey asked with a concerned look.

"About Alana. He said he overheard her talking to Rush this morning in the band room about the pep rally. He said she claimed into knowing the show now and she tried convincing him to let her take her spot back."

"Are you kidding me? Mr. Rush said that even if she knew it, I would still be conducting with Tommy today and at the game on Friday."

"I know. That's exactly what Tommy told her after she left the band room."

"And what did she say to him?"

"That…she said that she was going to get her spot back one way or another…even if it means to…"

"…To what Jacky?" Zoey stepped closer to her and grew anxious.

"To," Jacky hesitated, "to sabotage you in every way possible. And knowing Alana, it could be anything."

"Are…you…ser…seri...serious? No way…oh my god…no! This can't be a repeat of seventh grade. This just can't!" Zoey screamed. She ran over to a corner and slid down to the floor.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jacky asked walking over to her.

"Do you remember the Jackson competition?"

"Yeah, but I didn't make it to that competition. What happened? I don't remember you telling me. I heard stories, but…"

"It was during the last song we did in that Disney show. And the field was a little slippery because of the turf being moist. As I was marching, I accidentally nudged Alana in her arm with my flag as I passed her because I almost slipped. So I guess she got all mad because she broke the form and crashed into Omar in the low brass line. I think she was pissed off anyway to begin with. She and Mr. Rush got into some argument about something before we left for the competition."

"Really? Was it serious or like anything important?"

"He wouldn't say. So a few charts later, like two before the last chart of the show, Alana ended up behind me by breaking the form big time. I don't know how because I was near the fifty while she was back by the thirty. She stabbed me in the back with her flute and then tripped me. I slipped and fell right onto the marimba in the pit. The wheel ended up twisting around and the freaking thing came crashing down on me, along with the gong and china cymbal right by it. They were attached somehow to it."

"Oh my god. Did you get hurt badly?" Jacky asked in shock.

"I ended up twisting my ankle, a bruise on my arm, and the cymbal cut me deep in a few places. It went through my uniform. Oh and the uniform was a mess too."

"That's why you got a new uniform the week after."

"Yeah, all thanks to Alana." Zoey sighed.

"That's crazy. I can't believe her. What a snob."

"Yeah I know."

"Did the judges say anything on the tapes?"

"Yeah, as they were watching the form this is what they all exactly said: 'good job clarinets with that lick right there. Nice spacing and…what's that flute doing? Oh my god! Is that guard girl okay?'"

"Ha really?" Jacky asked, amused from the judges' comment.

"I swear. And they all said it at the same time. During the award ceremony, we did get an award for tremendous sportsmanship because of me. When I fell, everyone on the field ran off to see if I was okay. The drum line ran so fast with their drums. It was priceless. The snares crashed into the bass drums...such a funny moment."

"Oh wow…" Jacky took out her cell and saw that they had a minute left to get to class. "We should get going. One minute left." The girls left the bathroom and started walking.

"So what should I do? I don't know what Alana will plan." Zoey asked nervously.

"I don't know either, Zo. Just lookout for her I guess. She's supposed to come here with Mr. Rush and Tommy to stop by and let all the classes know about the pep rally."

"Oh great. Don't I feel so much safer?" the bell rang and Zoey jumped.

"That was the bell, Zoey."

"I…I know…just…scared out of my mind!"

"Keep your phone on you to see if you get any texts from Tommy or Mr. Rush. I'll see you later." Jacky ran down the hall to get to her class. Zoey walked up to her classroom. Kaitlyn was standing outside the door greeting the rest of the kids as they walked in. She looked at Zoey and grabbed her arm.

"Sweetie, are you okay? You look completely terrified." She asked quietly.

"Um...yeah. I'm fine." Zoey replied as she walked in. Kaitlyn watched her as she took a seat at her desk and crunched up into her chair with her head on her knees. Some of the kids around her gave each other looks and then stared up at Kaitlyn. She gave them a shrug and closed the door.

"Okay guys this is it. The start of the brand new school year as eighth graders." She said to lighten the mood. Students in the class cheered and screamed for joy. "So how do you feel?'

"I'm excited about this year. It's going to be fun, I can feel it." Cindy called out.

"Yeah I think so too, but it just feels weird to be here right now as an eighth grader." Tony said.

Students continued to shout out their opinions about the new year. Conner glanced over at Zoey and leaned in closer to her.

"Zoey, are you okay, buddy?" Conner asked quietly as the conversation with Kaitlyn was still going on.

"No way, Con. I'm seriously like dead meat right now." She whispered back.

"What's wrong? Did John or Randy freak you out already?"

"No they didn't, but Jacky sure did."

"That's surprising." Conner said to himself. He refocused his attention to Zoey. "What do you mean by that anyway?"

Zoey leaned in closer to Conner. "Jacky told me this morning that Tommy sent her a text saying Alana was out to get me."

"What?" Conner said loudly.

"Shhh…" Zoey said as she pushed her finger to Conner's lips. She stared at him, scared as ever.

"Are you serious? How come? Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure. She showed me the text in the bathroom. Apparently she was talking to Rush about getting her spot back for the pep rally. She claims to 'have the show down packed,' but he didn't believe her. He said that Alana just wanted to get her spot back so she doesn't look like a fool in front of the whole school."

"Wow that's pretty steep, huh?"

"You're telling me. I don't know what to do because knowing Alana, she will try any thing to get her drum major position back and make me look like the laughing stalk. And I mean _anything,_ Conner. Plus she's going to be in this school today with Mr. Rush and Tommy."

"That really does suck." Conner looked up at the clock. Then he stared back at Zoey. "So, what are you going to do?"

"What else can I do? I don't know what she can be planning. On top of that, I don't know where she'll be when she gets here. I'm scared out of my damn mind!"

"I suppose the best thing to do is just to calm down and hope for the best, right?" Conner hesitated.

"I guess so." Zoey smacked her head onto her desk and sighed big, with no hope in her at all.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Zoey...can't Alana just leave her alone already? Don't you hate when people don't do their jobs right and when they finally decide to do something about it, they try their hardest to get things to happen their way? So now we wait to see what Alana really has planned...fun stuff, except not really.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**And the fun continues...sorry for the long wait!**

* * *

><p>The day went on and it was now fifth period, which meant it was time for gym class. Alana has yet to be seen in the school by Zoey, Jacky or Conner. The suspense of running into Alana and the performance at the pep rally was building up inside of Zoey.<p>

"Look at her, Conner." Jacky whispered as they both sat in the bleachers in the gym. The two friends watched Zoey tremble in a small corner at the top of the bleachers. Danny, Ellyn, DJ, Tony, Gabby, Maggie, John, Randy and Mike also watched as their friend shook back and forth in fear.

"I know, but what can we do? It's not like we can do magic or something." Conner replied back.

"We have to do something. This is just going to get worse and we need her as focused as possible for the pep rally!"

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried."

"Same here. I feel bad for Zoey. I never knew Alana was this insane." Gabby butted in.

"Did she even tell Ms. Sanderson what happened?" DJ asked. Everyone then directed their attention to Conner to get an answer.

"Well, did she?" Jacky asked.

"I don't think she has the slightest clue. I mean when Zoey came in the room after the bell rang for first period, she did speak to her, but I don't think Zoey said anything." said Conner with a sigh.

"Well we have to mention it now." Ellyn suggested.

"What good would it do now when she leaves in two periods?" Maggie asked.

"It beats waiting until lunch, doesn't it? At least Zoey will have an entire period to calm down." Conner answered defensively.

"Conner's right. We have to go and find Ms. Sanderson." Danny said.

"Where is she now?" John asked. Everyone sighed in doubt of finding Ms. Sanderson.

The group of kids started to think of where they can find their teacher. Jacky's face lit up as she thought of an idea.

"Okay so once the bell rings for next period, who ever gets to the lunch room first has to find Ms. Sanderson or Mr. Smith and tell them." Jacky said. Everyone nodded their head in agreement with the plan.

*****!*****

The rest of the class period went on for the last thirty minutes. The bell rang seconds later, indicating it was now sixth period. Sixth period was the last lunch shift for the eighth graders. Seventh graders started to pour out of the lunch room as some eighth graders began to take over.

Ten minutes into the period, Zoey went upstairs to gather her band stuff from her locker. She still felt nervous about running into Alana, but she was happy to finally have a chance to eat some food. Once she had everything she needed, she slammed the locker door shut and made her way around the corner, then straight down the staircase to the lunch room.

"Hmmm…just the girl I've been waiting for." said a mysterious voice. Zoey screamed and dropped her band things. She saw Alana was standing at the bottom of the staircase. "Boy oh boy, Zoey. You're really starting to urke my nerves, you know." She said as she started walking towards her.

"Listen…Alana…" Zoey hesitantly started to say as she gathered her belongings. "I don't…don't know what I've…d-d-done to you and I don't think its a-a-all that serious if I have. Just…leave…leave me…alone!" Zoey screeched.

"Oh believe me, Rivera, you've done a lot to me. And it's starting to piss me off. You will not take my spot as drum major at that pep rally!" Alana reached her arms out to grab Zoey, but missed. Zoey ran up the stairs bursting through the doors as fast as she could. Alana ran right after her.

Zoey ran down the 260 corridor and went straight down the staircase in the right corner. Alana followed behind, skipping three steps at a time. Zoey flew threw the doors and ran pass the gym, across the commons and straight into the bookstore, locking the door behind her. Alana stopped in front of the main office and looked around for Zoey, but she was nowhere in sight. She grunted with anger and walked through the commons area.

Zoey sighed deeply and she watched Alana leave through the bookstore window. She managed to avoid the angry drum major, for now at least. She backed away from the window and slid down the wall. Sitting with her knees close to her chest, Zoey began thinking of what to do next.

*****!*****

In the lunchroom, Jacky and Conner walked around trying to find either Ms. Sanderson or Mr. Smith, which was hard to do with a room packed of hungry students and teachers trying to calm them down. Jacky pointed out Mr. Smith across the cafeteria near the vending machines. They zoomed right across the room passing through other students with lunch trays in their hands. Students shouted at the two with dismay and anger almost dropping their food.

"Hey, slow down, you two. I know lunch is important, but there's no need…"

"Sorry Mr. Smith, but we have a serious problem." Conner merged in.

"What is it? Are you two okay?" Mr. Smith asked looking at the two students with concern.

"It's not us you need to worry about." Jacky said.

"It's Zoey!" Conner added.

"You two, follow me now." Mr. Smith dodged out the cafeteria with Conner and Jacky following behind. They went down the hallway to the sixth grade office where Kaitlyn was talking to Mr. Rush and Tommy.

"Hey Terrence, are you okay?" Mr. Rush asked. He shook his head no as Conner and Jacky walked him seconds later.

Kaitlyn looked at her two students and started to become worried. "What's going on?" Jacky explained the situation to her, Mr. Rush and Tommy and started to tear up.

"I'm so sorry. It's just that I'm so worried about Zoey and she's been in such a crazy mood all day..." Jacky babbled on.

"What in the world…" Mr. Rush smacked his hand on his forehead and sighed deeply.

"Where is Zoey?" Kaitlyn asked, almost sounding like a demand.

"We don't know. The last time we saw her was in gym." Conner said.

"And we figured that Mr. Rush already came by since we didn't see him when we had band earlier." Jacky said looking over at Mr. Rush and Tommy.

"Don't worry, Kaitlyn. We'll find Alana and Zoey. Tommy, go to the main office with those two and ask for help." The three students nodded their heads and left.

"Kaitlyn and Terrence, go and look for Zoey. I'll go to the high school to find Alana and sort this mess out." Mr. Rush angrily said as he dashed out the office. Kaitlyn and Terrence didn't hesitate and made their way out the office to look for Zoey.

Tommy, Conner and Jacky ran through the main office doors bumping into Mr. Clark and knocking over a few folders.

"Excuse me, but you all know not to run in the school!" he said grouchy picking up his folders.

"Sorry Mr. Clark, but we have a problem." Conner said.

"It can't be as important as my work. Move along please and get to class." He walked pass the three students and headed out the office.

"He's a jerk." Jacky said.

"Eh, we have worse people over at the high school. I've dealt with it all." Tommy assured them.

"Sorry to overhear you three, but did you say that you have a problem?" Mrs. Borrero, the main secretary asked with concern.

"Yeah, a big one. We have a missing student." Conner said. Mrs. Borrero stared at the three students. She grabbed her hand-held radio off her desk and got up.

"Alright, let's roll." She walked out of the office with the three students trailing behind. "What's the name of the student?"

"Zoey Rivera, grade eight." Tommy responded quickly.

"Attention corridor aides," Mrs. Borrero started to say over the radio. "Eighth grader Zoey Rivera is MIA and needed over at the high school. Please look around for her and contact..." She paused to look at the students for a name to contact."

"Kevin Rush, high school band director, or Ms. Sanderson." Tommy responded again.

"Kevin Rush at the high school or Kaitlyn Sanderson in room 270. It is important that we find this student."

"Affirmative." some of the corridor aides responded back.

"Okay kids, let's take a walk outside to see if we can find her." Mrs. Borrero led the trio outside the school and began their search for Zoey.

*****!*****

Students from the lunchroom started to make their way outside to the courtyard. Zoey sat in a corner near boxes of school supplies in the bookstore. She could hear the laughter coming from her fellow classmates as they walked pass. She thought about leaving the room and heading over to the high school, but couldn't bare to move from her safety hideout.

"I can't believe we can't find either of them." A voice outside the store said.

"I know. I'm really worried about her. She can't just go missing. I definitely saw Alana leaving the school." Another voice said.

"Wait," Zoey said to herself. "Is that…Conner?" she crawled over to the closed window and raised the gate a little bit. She looked around, but couldn't see anything but four trees and two tables in the commons. Someone then walked by and Zoey ducked.

"She can't be far. I don't think she would have left knowing she had to leave to go over to the high school anyway."

"But that's the thing. Alana will be there waiting for her."

"Well if Alana left the middle school then we have to make sure she's at the high school before she comes back here with a rocket launcher."

Zoey looked out the window again to see who was there. She found three people walking by towards the lunchroom. "That's Conner for sure." Zoey stared at her bag and thought of an idea, hoping it would work. Zoey grabbed her bag and took out her cell phone. "Please have service…please…I beg you!" she pleaded. Her phone then got three bars worth of service and she gasped. Zoey went through her contacts to find Conner's and Kaitlyn's number. She sent a text message to the both of them saying where she was. "Hopefully one of them will get it."

*****!*****

Conner and Jacky sat in Kaitlyn's classroom with Kaitlyn, thinking of a new plan. Tommy decided to head back to the high school and help Mr. Rush locate Alana.

"This is insane. Where could she have gone?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Maybe she already left?" Jacky suggested.

"Didn't we just go over that?" grumbled Conner. He looked at Kaitlyn pacing back and forth behind her desk.

"I think we would have known if Zoey left the school by one of the corridor aides telling us that she did…right?" Jacky asked hopelessly.

"All I know is that we need to find her fast." Kaitlyn demanded.

A couple of seconds later Conner's cell phone started to vibrate on his desk. The three of them froze in place. Conner picked up his phone and flipped it open.

"It's a text message…" he began.

"Who is it from?" Jacky asked.

"It's from Zoey." Conner answered. Kaitlyn's phone started to ring as well. She grabbed it off her desk and saw that she also got a text message from Zoey. She walked over to Conner's desk and knelt down in front of it.

"So where is she?" Jacky asked.

"The book store." Kaitlyn answered.

"The book store? Why is she there of all places?"

"Who knows? You guys go let the administration know where she is. I'm going to go get her."Kaitlyn and Jacky nodded in agreement. Conner ran out the classroom, heading to the commons to get Zoey.

Zoey sat in the corner waiting for help. She was scared to even make a move. All of a sudden, there was something banging on the door. Zoey jumped in fear.

"Zo?" said a voice.

"Conner…is that you?" Zoey flipped open her cell phone to use as a light making her way to the door. She unlocked it and saw Conner standing right at the door. She ran into his arms as Conner wrapped his arms around Zoey tightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

"I'm fine. I just need to get out of here."

"Where's your stuff?"

"It's all here. I just want to go to the high school now. I want to tell Mr. Rush that I'm giving Alana her spot back."

"Oh no you're not. That's exactly what Alana wants."

"Yeah, it is. She wins this time. I don't want it anymore."

"Zoey, you're not giving this up." Conner said as he looked at her friend. "I have faith in you. Mr. Rush and Tommy can handle Alana. You will go and do this pep rally."

Zoey studied Conner's face and gulped. She then nodded and gave him a tight hug. "Thanks, Conner. Let's just go." The duo left the bookstore and walked down the hall. They went through the doors that led to the parking lot and started their walk to the high school.

As soon as Zoey and Conner left the building, Jacky and Kaitlyn walked passed the same set of doors and through the commons to the main office.

"Kevin, I thought you were at the high school?" Kaitlyn asked with confusion as she walked into the office.

"I was there, but I got a call from Andrew saying that Zoey was spotted leaving the bookstore ten minutes ago."

"Leaving the bookstore? You mean she's gone now?"

"I suppose so. No one saw where she could have gone off to."

"Does that mean Conner left with Zoey too?" Kaitlyn asked Jacky. She shrugged her shoulders. A couple of seconds later, Jacky's phone started vibrating.

"Text message?" Mr. Rush asked.

"Yes and it's from Tommy. He said Zoey and Conner are on their way to the high school now." Jacky informed the adults.

"Okay we have to move fast then because Alana is at the high school now, waiting in my office. The quicker we take care of this issue, the better. Jacky, let's get over there now. I'll give you a call if anything happens, Katie." Kaitlyn nodded as she watched Mr. Rush and Jacky leave the main office.

*****!*****

Zoey and Conner continued their walk across the huge parking lot that lies between the high school and middle school. They thought about entering through the back doors that led to the band room, but then decided to enter through the cafeteria just to avoid Alana. It was a longer walk since they had to walk around the gym, but it didn't bother the two much. They figured by entering the high school from the cafeteria would be the best choice because they would have to be escorted to the band room by a corridor aide or teacher. Alana wouldn't dare to cause a big scene in front of her peers during lunch...at least that is what the duo thought.

"I seriously wish this walk would end already." Conner complained.

"You didn't have to come, you know." Zoey said struggling to keep her backpack on her shoulder.

"There was no chance of you coming here alone."

"I know...thanks again, Con." Zoey smiled softly.

"You're welcome." Conner turned his head towards the school, realizing they were a few feet away from the picnic tables. "To pay me back, just give me a kick ass salute when you take the podium."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Zoey asked with a laugh.

Conner rubbed his chin to think of something else. "Yeah, I want a caramel apple covered in Reese's pieces."

Zoey raised an eyebrow and just stared at her best friend. "A caramel apple? What in the world made you think of caramel apples?"

"Caramel apples with Reese's pieces." Conner corrected.

"Yeah whatever. We'll try to work something out."

Zoey and Conner finally made it to the picnic area outside the high school cafeteria. They walked over to the cafeteria doors and made their way in. The cafeteria was full of loud and eager high school students. Teachers wandered around the big room to keep an eye on the students. Some students are constantly moving from the food line to tables, talking to friends and eating their meals. Zoey looked around the room to see if she could find a teacher she recognized, but had no luck.

The two started to maneuver through the cafeteria, but Conner stopped quickly. He directed Zoey's attention to the snack bar.

"Isn't that the guard instructor?" he asked. Zoey focused her eyes and noticed that Conner was right. Standing by the snack bar was Mrs. Carey.

"She can take us to the band room." Zoey assured Conner. They continued to walk through the crowds of high school students towards the snack bar. Mrs. Carey was talking to a student, but then noticed the duo walking in her direction.

"Zoey? I thought you were suppose to come over with Mr. Rush?" she asked with confusion.

"We kind of had an issue so the plans changed. Can you take us to the band room?"

"Sure thing. Let's go." Mrs. Carey guided Zoey and Conner out of the cafeteria and down the main hallway.

The students followed Mrs. Carey down the hallway as they passed by classrooms and offices. Once they reached the main entrance, they continued to walk straight and through a set of doors leading to another set of doors and a staircase. They passed the staircase and went through the doors, leading to a familiar hallway Zoey knew too well.

Zoey, Conner and Mrs. Carey arrived at the band room, but stopped at the door. It was closed.

"Is he even here?" Zoey asked.

"He should be. Let me go to the sophomore office to see if they saw him." Mrs. Carey said. She walked down the hall to the small office they passed by before and went inside.

"He has to be here... Tommy said they came back." Zoey said as she looked at Conner.

"I know, Zo. Maybe he is somewhere else in the school?" Conner decided to lean against the door to wait, but it was closed shut once he made contact with it. He gave Zoey a questioning look and turned the door knob.

"It was open this whole time." Conner opened the door and the band room was lit. They walked in and Zoey sat her bags down against the wall. As if on cue, Tommy and Mr. Rush walked out of his office and was startled to see the duo in the room.

"I thought we'd never find you, Rivera." Mr. Rush said with a smile. He redirected his attention to the new face and held out a hand. "And you are..."

"Conner Thompson, sir." Conner replied with a nod and gave Mr. Rush a hand shake.

"Nice to meet you."

"Oh, thanks for bringing my partner in crime over safely." Tommy said as he pulled Zoey in for a strong embrace.

Conner stared at Tommy and Zoey as she smiled. A slight bit of anger started to boil inside him, but he couldn't figure out why. "Yeah...no problem."

"Ah, Mr. Rush. You are here." Mrs. Carey said loudly as she walked in the band room.

"I was in my office. We finally got everything settled."

"So what happened with Alana?" Zoey asked with concern.

"When Tommy and I got back, we found Alana sitting at my desk. She was still angry and she started to plead for her drum major position back. There was no way in hell that she was getting the spot back."

"Wait so...I get to-"

"Keep the position? Yeah, you do." Tommy grinned. Zoey didn't know what to think. She felt happy, but guilty at the same time. She turned towards Mr. Rush for a assuring look.

"As of right now, you are my second drum major, Zoey. I told Alana that maybe some time during the season she _might_ be able to get the position back, that's if I feel like giving it back. For Christ sakes, she threatened you and I was not okay with it. Right now I don't want to deal with her crap. I'll let her march in the show, if she still wishes to participate."

"Then I guess to say that I don't have to worry about her anymore, right?"

"We'll just go with yes." Tommy laughed.

Seconds later the bell rang and the hallways filled up with students. Mr. Rush walked over to the door and swung it open. Band students started to pour into the room.

"Mrs. Carey, would you mind taking Conner back over to the middle school?" Mr. Rush shouted from the door.

Mrs. Carey gave him a nod and motioned to Conner. "Time to go."

Conner looked back at Zoey, almost looking for permission to leave. He didn't feel right leaving her alone at the school, especially with Tommy.

"It's okay, Con. I'll see you at the pep rally." she said with a smile. Conner sighed and walked out with Mrs. Carey.

"Alright miss lady, let's get you fitted for a new uniform!" Tommy said as he led Zoey to the back. He took a set of keys out his pocket and unlocked the uniform room. He turned the lights on and motioned Zoey to walk in.

"So, what do you want to wear? We can do regular uniforms or costumes..." Tommy suggested.

"It's kind of hard to find good costumes to wear for a Godzilla show." Zoey chuckled. She looked around the room to think of something to wear. "Hmmm...why don't we wear the blue, silver, and white coats with the shoulder capes?"

"And do black bottoms?"

"Yeah. I mean, Rush has the band in the white pants with the other blue and white coats with the gold sash. So I say we get capes."

"Yeah...sounds good to me, Zo." Tommy smiled. The two searched through the racks of uniforms until they found a top and bottom that fit perfectly. After accomplishing that, they searched through boxes for a pair of black Drill Masters marching shoes, gauntlets to match their coats, black shakoes and two black plumes to complete the look.

"Well, seems like we have everything now. I'll go to a practice room to change, so you can have this room. Be quick though; it's almost time to get ready." Tommy said as he walked out, closing the door behind him.

Zoey laid out her uniform and started to get undressed, but realized that her band clothes was still in her bag in the band room. She opened the door to get her bags, but noticed that all of her bags was sitting against the wall. She looked around and saw Tommy walking away into the crowd of band students. She smiled and grabbed her band bag, then went back into the uniform room to get dressed.

Five minutes later, Zoey stood in front of a mirror that sat against the back wall of the room. She glanced at herself in her new uniform. She couldn't help but grin. She smoothed out her pants and stood up straight. So many emotions ran through her mind. She felt happy, but scared at the same time.

Although the issue with Alana was resolved, for now, she still can't help but feel scared. Something about the situation didn't feel right and she couldn't figure it out.

A couple of knocks on the door broke Zoey's trance. "Come in."

"Well now look at you, miss drum major. Looking snazzy, Zo." Jacky said as she walked in with Gabby.

Zoey laughed and turned back to the mirror. "It feels like a dream."

"Hey, Mr. Rush couldn't have picked any one else better for the job." Gabby smiled. The two girls stood next to Zoey, one on each side.

"If you say so..."

"I am really digging the cape. I wish we had capes." Jacky responded with a frown.

"I think you'll live, Jacky." Gabby grabbed Zoey's gauntlets and helped her put them on, the blue one on the left and the white on the right.

"Well, I guess I should go find Tommy. We have to work out the salute...it's still not perfect."

"It's be okay, Zo. Plus I think a certain drum major might have a little crush on you!" Jacky squealed.

"Oh please, you have to be joking." Zoey said. She studied Jacky's face and then she felt herself turn red. "You think so?"

"No doubt about it. I can tell by the way he looks at you, Zo!"

"He has become a little over protective of you lately..." Gabby added in.

"Okay seriously, you two are nuts. He's a senior! I'm just an eighth grader. Let's be real here." Zoey said.

"I'm just saying, Zo." Jacky said with a laugh.

"I'll talk to you both later." Zoey grabbed her shako and bags and left the uniform room. She made her way into the crowded band room. Band members were everywhere. The drum line stood around their usual spot in the room practicing their cadence. The low brass section was split into two of the practice rooms with the trumpet line, while the rest of the high brass section was spread out in the room among the other sections. The color guard was packed in the biggest practice room, getting dressed and putting make up on. Zoey didn't know where else to go with her stuff, so she went into Mr. Rush's office and placed her bags down.

"I like the uniform choice." Mr. Rush stated as he walked in.

"Thanks. Can't go wrong with the cape." Zoey smiled.

"I'm gonna start handing out uniforms, then run out to the football field. Can you and Tommy just make sure everyone gets dressed and is ready in twenty minutes?"

"Yep, no problem." Mr. Rush gave Zoey a quick nod and he was gone. Zoey sat down in the closest chair and started to play with her hands. She started to feel very nervous all over again.

To calm herself down, she did some deep breathing exercises. Tommy walked in a few minutes later and smiled at her.

"What?"

"You look cute when you're nervous."

"This isn't a joking matter, Tommy."

"Who said I was joking?" he asked as he sat down next to her. Zoey's heart began beating even faster. Thoughts of what Jacky and Gabby said earlier flooded her mind.

"You okay?"

"Yeah..." she choked up. Tommy stood up and pulled Zoey up with him.

"Before we head out to the field, we have to make sure that the salute is good. We have to make sure that our hands are placed the same way, stuff like that."

"Yeah...sounds good."

"So hang out, then band should be dressed within the next ten minutes. Once they're in uniform, we'll do a quick run through of the show and head out."

Tommy made is way to door, but turned back around and stood in front of Zoey again. He pulled her in for a reassuring hug. Zoey felt his arms wrap around her tiny body. She felt relaxed and wrapped her arms around him. Seconds later they broke apart and he gave her a quick smile.

"You have nothing to worry about, Zo. You'll do great." With that being said, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and left Mr. Rush's office.

Zoey stood in shock, not knowing how to react. She slowly rose her hand to her cheek and felt nervous all over again. She grabbed her shako and searched her bag for her white cotton gloves. She walked out the office into the hallway. She ran down the hall to the library and hid in a corner, to do some last minute practice. She quickly went through the show and practiced her salute. She turned towards the library doors and looked at her reflection in the glass. She shoved the plume into her shako and placed it on her head. Then she put her gloves on. She glanced at the glass and smiled. She was now ready than ever to do this pep rally. Nothing can stop her now.

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><p><strong>Next up is the pep rally! There's nothing to worry about now...or is there?<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Howdy readers! Sorry for the very late update! I've been pretty busy with school. So here is chapter 6! Enjoy! **

**Ps.: if you're a fan of Law & Order: SVU, check out my new story, _How Strong Do You Think I Am?_...thanks! :)**

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><p>The band room was filled with crazed band members, running back and forth. The color guard struggled to get everyone's make-up done for the show, section leaders ran around checking their sections to make sure they were dressed in full uniform, and one of the drummers managed to get their shako stuck in the bell of a sousaphone.<p>

Tommy walked around the band room to look for Zoey, but she was nowhere in sight. He passed the storage room, but stopped in his tracks. He backed up to see what was going on inside. The drum line and sousaphone line stood around a shiny silver Yamaha sousaphone lying on the floor. One student held the instrument still as one of the drummers tried to pull the shako out of the bell.

"How the hell did you guys manage to get the shako stuck inside the bell?" Tommy shouted from the hallway.

The group of band members snapped their heads to face their drum major. Tommy stared at the drum section leader, Alvin.

"That's your shako in the sousaphone, isn't it, Al?" he said.

"Yeah…don't ask." Alvin responded.

"Look, I don't care how you get that thing out. Just do it in five minutes, please?"

Tommy shook his head and went back into the room full of chaos. He walked into Mr. Rush's office and as soon as he closed the door, the phone on Mr. Rush's desk started to ring. He walked over to the desk and picked up the phone.

"Band room, can I help you?"

"Why aren't you answering your cell phone? I called three times." Mr. Rush said on the other end.

"Oh sorry, Mr. Rush. I was…busy with something." Tommy replied back. He took he cell phone out of his uniform jacket and saw the missed calls on the screen.

"That's nice to know. Anyway, get everyone together and do a run through of the show. After that, you and Zoey lead the band outside and line everyone up on the track on the home side. I'll meet you guys there."

"Sure thing." Tommy hung up the phone and walked out the office. He noticed Zoey down by the podium.

"Where the hell were you?" he asked as he rushed down to meet her.

"I took the flute and clarinets into a practice room to tune. We couldn't get it done out here with all of the chaos." Zoey said.

"Well…I'm glad you're here. Let's get through this run through." Tommy turned around and blew the whistle that hung around his neck. "Alright everyone, get seated. We have to do a quick run through and head out. So the quicker you sit your asses down, the quicker we can this through this pep rally."

"Are we going to go through the warm up?" Zoey asked as she moved to the left side of the podium.

"No time to. Come on guys! Let's go!" Tommy ordered.

All of the band members settled down in their seats and instruments were up, ready to play. Zoey watched Tommy as he counted the band into the first song of the show.

Ten minutes passed and the band began lining up outside into their parade block. Flutes and clarinets occupied the front of the block, saxophones and high brass took the middle, while low brass and percussion took the back of the block, bass drummers being the last line. The color guard fell into place behind the band with their flags cradled in their hands. Zoey led the banner girls to the front of the band and put them in place. She stood in front of them, watching the band as Tommy fixed the lines and switched some people around.

Zoey felt very nervous as she watched classes from the middle school making their way over to the football field. She watched the students and teachers walk pass, cheering for the band as they went by. She spotted Kaitlyn and Terrance walking with their classes. Her homeroom was only a couple of feet behind, cheering for their friends in the band. Randy whistled loudly as Ellyn, Conner and John cheered loudly for Zoey.

"Oh my gosh, they even made signs." Zoey mumbled as she smacked her forehead. Carlos and Jose jumped up and down with the big posters they made filled with Zoey's name everywhere.

"Wow Zo, they are very happy for you." Jacky said with a laugh.

"They're too excited if you ask me."

Kaitlyn noticed the band standing outside and she spotted Zoey quickly.

"Aw look at her. She looks nice in her new uniform." She said to Terrence.

"She does. I'm digging the capes." He said.

The couple waved to Zoey and she waved back. Tommy finally walked up to the front of the band and stood next to Zoey. He noticed that she was looking at the crazy group of people cheering her name.

"Seems like you have a fun club, Rivera."

"They're just a group of crazy people. I can't believe they really made posters! How ridiculous!"

"Hey, they're just happy for you. This is a big moment, Zo. Not many eighth graders can say that they accomplished this, you know." Tommy smiled.

"Yeah, just make me even more nervous."

"Well, let's get this party started." Tommy threw his shako on and grabbed his whistle. He turned around and raised the whistle to his mouth, but stopped. He turned to Zoey and nudged her to turn around. "Why don't you start us off, huh?"

Zoey gave Tommy a blank stare, but automatically shifted into drum major mode. She nervously grabbed her whistle and held it in her hand as she turned around to face the band. She gave Tommy one last look and he gave her an assuring nod. She nodded back and smiled.

"To the ready!" she shouted. The band instantly fell to the ready, heads down and bodies relaxed.

"Detail attend hut!"

"Hut!" the band shouted in unison. Arms fell to the side and heads snapped up. Cheers emerged from the middle school students as they stopped to watch the band. Zoey and Tommy did an about hace to face the opposite direction.

_Tweet,__tweet,__tweet,__tweet_. She blew her whistle and the lead snare drummer began tapping his drum to keep time. The band began marking time. Left foot hitting the ground on one, right foot on two, left on three, and right on four.

"Forward harch!" Zoey shouted and the whistle fell from her mouth.

The band began moving forward. After a couple of steps, the drum line started to play their cadence as the band marched their way to the football field. They passed by the middle school students and teachers and they turned the corner and passed the back of the gym. Zoey couldn't help but laugh when the band caught up with her homeroom. They cheered loudly for Zoey and the rest of their friends in the band.

"They sure do love you, Zoey." Tommy whispered.

"Yeah they do." Zoey responded with a big smile. _Maybe__this__won__'__t__be__as__bad__as__I__thought._

Zoey, Tommy and the band finally arrived at the field. The home stands were almost filled with the high school. The middle school occupied the visitor stands. Zoey and Tommy led the band onto the track and stopped at where Mr. Rush stood. Tommy walked to the back of the block and crossed his arm to for an "X". He blew one long whistle to indicate the drum line to stop the cadence. A few beats later, the drum line ended their cadence and the band stopped marking time.

"Zoey and Tommy, come here." Mr. Rush said. The drum majors walked over to the director. He placed his arms around the two so they could hear him speak. "So this is the run down. We do the banner and they introduce the fall teams for the middle school. They have a CD set for them already. After that, we do our show and then they introduce the high school teams. We'll play the assigned songs for each team. So spread the word to everyone to have the banner fresh in their heads."

Tommy and Zoey nodded their heads and then walked over to the band.

"I'll get brass and drum line." Tommy said without stopping. He went straight to the back of the block.

Zoey walked to the front and told everyone to have the Star Spangled Banner ready. She started to walk her way to the front, but Jacky pulled her arm to stop her.

"How ya feeling, Zo?" she asked.

"Okay, I guess." She said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Would be nice to feel a little calmer."

"You'll do great. Don't worry so much." Gabby said from the line behind Jacky's.

Zoey smiled and made her way to the front of the band. She stared into the home stands, looking for Alana. She was nowhere to be found. She sighed and redirected her attention to the other side of the field. She watched her classmates fill in the stands as they cheered.

"Hi, are you Alana McKenzie?" a woman asked. Zoey turned to face the woman. She had a camera hanging around her neck.

"Oh no. I'm not Alana. I'm Zoey."

"Well nice to meet you, Zoey…"

"Rivera." The woman reached her hand out to shake Zoey's. She accepted.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" she asked the mysterious woman.

"Oh, how rude of me. I'm Sharon Harris from Seaside Heights Daily newspaper. I'm taking pictures of today's pep rally. I came by to get a quick shot of the band and drum majors before you do your show."

"Your—your taking pictures of pep rally?" Zoey asked nervously.

"Oh yes, dear. The local news station is here as well. Here to capture some great footage. So where is the other drum major, Thomas Miller?" Sharon asked as she read from her small notepad.

"That would be me." Tommy chimed in.

"Well, hello there. I'm Sharon Harris from Seaside Heights Daily newspaper. Can I get a photo of you two real quick?"

"Yeah, sure thing." Tommy quickly grabbed Zoey and they stood next to each other. Tommy wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled. Zoey gave an awkward smile as Sharon took a few pictures of the two.

"Thank you, my dears. Break a leg! I'll be here taking some great shots!" Sharon left as she made her way to the band and took a few pictures of them and the color guard.

"I didn't know this thing would get taped! And photographed!" Zoey exclaimed.

"Yeah…our pep rallies are usually a big deal. I guess that's why they decided to add the middle school into the mix."

"You have to be kidding me…" Zoey said.

"What's wrong? Having cold feet already? Worried that you'll get a bad shot?" Tommy joked.

"Not exactly." Zoey instantly started to feel scared. Something didn't feel right and she couldn't figure out what it was.

"There's nothing to worry about, Zoey. Everything will be okay." Tommy assured her. She gave him a weak smile and sighed. Nerves were starting to build up fast.

The first half of the pep rally went by quickly. The band performed the Star Spangled Banner nicely and the middle school fall teams were filled with lots of energy. The band stood in the back left corner of the football field as they quickly stretched. The last middle school team was still on the field and the band patiently waited to do their show. Zoey stood in front of the band, pacing back and forth. Tommy stood a few steps ahead with the two color guard captains, Kelly and Sara. The banner girls were placed in front of the band while the color guard was standing along the sideline with their flags.

"Zo, get in your spot." Sara said quietly. Zoey snapped her head and she quickly ran over to take her spot in between Tommy and Kelly. She hasn't been an easy person to deal with ever since Alana left. Sara, however, has been understanding and helpful.

"Okay guys, let's do this." Mr. Rush announced over the speaker. He sat in the press box.

Tommy took his whistle and blew it four times.

_Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet._

The band began marking time.

"Forward harch!" Tommy shouted. The band began marching down the field, towards the center.

"Can everyone please direct their attention to the left side of the field? Here is Seaside Heights High School's Marching Pirates!" Mr. Rush over the speaker. Both schools began cheering loudly as the band continued to march down the field.

"This year's show is 'Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!' The band is led by drum majors Tommy Miller and Zoey Rivera!" the crowd, especially the middle school side, cheered loudly. "Guard captains are Kelly Buck and Sara Johnson. Field commander is Zack Henderson."

The band was now in the middle of field, marking time in place. Tommy and Zoey left their spots to stand on each side of the band. They blew one long whistle and crossed their arms. They quickly marched back to their spots as the drum line finished their cadence. The band stopped marking time.

"Okay guys, get into the opening chart." Tommy said quietly. The band started moving to their places on the field and the color guard began laying their flags out on the field. The two drum majors and guard captains stayed in the middle of the field.

When the band got to their spots, they quickly warmed up their instruments and fell to the ready. Now they had to wait for the cue to begin.

"Drum majors, Tommy and Zoey, is your band ready?" Mr. Rush shouted.

"Five…six…five, six, seven, eight." Tommy counted. The two guard girls quickly ran behind the two drum majors and started to roar like a dinosaur. Zoey ducked and pretend to be scared while Tommy pretended to knock the two girls out. They fell to the ground quickly, but shot back up and stood in their spots. The four of them raised their arms to salute the crowd. Both schools cheered excitedly as they finished their salute.

"Seaside Heights Marching Pirates, you may take the field in exhibition."

The crowd cheered once again. The guard captains ran to different parts of the field. Tommy and Zoey gave each other a quick hug.

"Keep focused and calm." He whispered to her. They broke apart and ran to the sideline. Tommy climbed the podium and Zoey stood on the forty-yard line on the left side of the field. Tommy took his shako off and placed it behind him. He clapped his hands together a couple of times.

"Detail attend hut!"

"Hut!" The band snapped to attention.

"Band horns up!" As soon as the band snapped their instruments up, Tommy then raised his arms. Zoey followed Tommy as he counted the band in, starting the show.

The first song started off as a normal day in Las Vegas. Halfway through the song, two of the color guard girls ran from the back sideline with a flag that looked like Godzilla. The band broke form and ran around the field, panicking.

The second song was the attack of Godzilla. The pit was playing insane rhythms and the guard ran around screaming and doing intense guard work as Godzilla continued to attack. Halfway through the song, Tommy and Zoey switched places. She was now on the podium while Tommy stood on the right side of the field.

Everything was going well so far. However, Zoey felt a little uneasy about the podium. It felt like it was moving around as she conducted, but she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

Zoey started the third song, which is where they were stopping for today. The band turned backfield and Tommy conducted on the taller podium. At the end of the song, Godzilla was now trapped and the band hid in fear. The crowd cheered and clapped for the band. Zoey turned around and saluted the crowd, indicating their show was done. The Godzilla flag got caught on Tommy's podium, but he didn't notice because he was still frozen in character. Zoey turned around and picked her whistle up. She blew four whistles and climbed off the podium. As soon as she hit the ground, the podium collapsed. Tommy stood up on the podium and started to climb down, trying to rush over to Zoey to see if she was okay. He foot slipped on the silk that was trapped on the podium. He lost his balance and fell off the podium, straight on his back. His podium was a few feet taller than the other one, so when that one collapsed, it made a louder sound. The flag also ripped as well.

"Tommy!" Zoey shouted. She and the guard captains ran to the back of the field with Mr. Rush trailing behind.

"What the hell happened?" he shouted.

"I don't know. The podium—it felt weird—it just fell." Zoey said hesitantly.

"Are you okay, Tommy?" Mr. Rush asked.

"Uh…yeah. Just hurt my ankle."

Mr. Rush helped Tommy up and held him so he could balance him. He turned towards the guard captains and Zoey. "Get them out of here. Now!" he shouted with anger.

The two nodded and ran off. Zoey and the captains led the band back to the band room. Zoey felt nervous all over again. She remembered that everything that just happened was caught on camera.

"Just what I needed…" Zoey said quietly. As they walked pass the gym, she spotted Alana standing near the door, laughing.

_Of course…_

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><p><strong>Oh no...<strong>_  
><em>


	7. Author's Message

Hello fellow band readers! I am so, so, SO sorry for not updating my stories! College has gotten incredibly busy for just being a few weeks into the semester. And to add to that, I never have any time alone to even write. The boyfriend has moved in and he kind of doesn't know that I even write :-P. So the only chance I really have to write is when I'm at school and I actually have some free time. I have also been experiencing some writer's block...anyhoo, I just wanted to apologize. Thank you to everyone that has read my stories! And don't worry, I plan to update very soon! Stick around :-)!

- Jazzy Fe


	8. 1011 Author's Note

**Hello everyone,**

**First, I just want to apologize to you all for being MIA this past year...I said that I'd be updating my stories again, and I was all set and ready to go the last time I left a message...which was back in February I believe...trust me, I want nothing more but to please my readers and finally continue working on my stories. I know you all have been eagerly waiting for a new update...**

**I do have to be honest about something though...ever since I lost my sister last October, and struggling with trying to finish up school to finally get my degree, I lost all motivation and interest in writing, causing some serious writer's block. Not exactly sure of where I want to go with any of my stories, and it sucks big time. With the 1 year mark of my sister's passing approaching quickly, I'm just not in the right mind state right now. **

**I will promise this to you though, I WILL continue my stories and I WILL do my very best to update soon. Just give me time...I thank those that have been faithful and still read my stories today. I will make it up to you guys, I definitely will...**

**I'll try my best to work on some new stuff and get the stories updated soon...again, I thank you all for your patience! Until next time...**

**- Jazzy xoxo**


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